Reflections
Psalm 24: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 (Read) “Who may go up the mountain of the Lord?
Who can stand in His holy place?”
The psalm is about a journey to a holy place.
It is a place where we will meet the Lord.
But we are asked, “Who can ascend the
mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in
His holy place?”
During Advent we become aware that although
we may not have to climb a holy mountain to meet
the Lord, we must prepare to receive Him in
our hearts. In fact the Psalm is guiding us to
prepare ourselves from within, so that we are
made ready to receive Him when He comes.
This is what our Advent time is about --
preparing ourselves to receive the Lord.
Just as St Paul in our 2nd reading was made ready
to receive “The grace of apostleship,” we too are
called to open our hearts to the Lord.
What must we do?
We must cleanse our hearts.
The verses of the Psalm say, “The clean of hand
and pure of heart who has not given his soul to
useless things … will receive blessings from the Lord.”
We are all unworthy to be in the Lord's presence,
but at least we can cleanse ourselves through Confession,
and bathe in the Word. That is how we show our love
for the Lord.
The Psalm calls for the coming of the king of glory,
just as the Gospel calls for the birth of Jesus.
Who will enter His kingdom? Our psalmist tells us
that those who love the Lord and those who seek
God's face will receive their reward from God our savior.
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. The Psalm Response asks us, "Let the Lord enter;
He is the king of glory." How do you prepare yourself
during Advent so that the king of glory can enter your heart?
2. Our psalmist speaks of a people that seeks the Lord,
that seeks the face of God. Describe what you are doing
to seek out the Lord in your family and in your community.
I am preparing for Advent by seeking His face in the disguise of the poor. I keep dollar bills handy in my car and give dollars out to those begging with a big smile and a prayer.
ReplyDeleteWho is the king of glory? It is the Messiah, Jesus Christ. As we wait for Him to come and reign over us with Justice and righteousness, I'm longing for His Presence among us forever. To prepare for this Advent, I wish to receive a blessing from the Lord through confession. With a pure heart I'm going to make myself ready to receive Him when He comes.
ReplyDeleteAnd also I seek out the Lord by praying for our family members in time of crisis and help them to see how our Lord works things out altogether for good in a mysterious way.
To my regret, even though I didn't do much in my community, I wish Jesus would give me a second chance to make up for my self- indulgence and indifference toward others.
Advent is truly a time of prayer, reflection, and thanks for what we have. We made a special effort to visit old friends and aging family members in Portland, Oregon, and in the Phoenix and Tuscon areas. We are most grateful for the ability to do so...our visits seem to have been much appreciated.
ReplyDelete